I never exactly imagined what my life would be like post-high school. I knew that I would go to college, make some new friends, and keep adhering to the same lifestyle that I had adopted in high school. It never occurred to me how much would actually change.

Graduating is easy. Saying goodbye to your friends when you head off to college is easy because you sincerely believe that nothing will change and you will talk all the time like you used to, but that is unfortunately not true. College is different, and in some ways better than high school. It certainly was for me. As a girl from a relatively small school, I knew practically everyone and their opinions mattered. Not necessarily to the point where I would radically change who I was, but if something was said, you knew who said it.

In college? You will be lucky if you have class with the same person twice. Nobody cares what you look like or who you are, but in a good way.

The worst thing that could be said about college is that you have to grow up. There is no way around it. Nothing is guaranteed. Your parents cannot help you with everything, otherwise you never learn to grow on your own.

I was blessed with parents who taught me how to be independent before I moved away. I had no doubt about my survival in college. I could grocery shop, manage my finances, and occasionally make my own appointments over the phone.

Not everyone has that type of upbringing, I know. But, at some point it becomes painfully obvious for when you need to know those skills. You can lament about how you were not taught in high school, but the internet is readily available and the information is there. You basically have to grow up, something that should not have to be said, but with some of my generation, it needs to be reiterated.

Growing up does not have to mean growing apart, but friendships will not stay the same, unfortunately. There is no good way to say it, but people change. However, this is not a bad thing. You either learn to grow in the new space, or the relationship withers and dies. For me, I have discovered that my lifestyle makes it hard to maintain constant contact with the people I am friends with. I work more than some full-time employees on top of maintaining an academic career. It is not easy. It is very, very hard, but also very rewarding if you let it be.

You have to learn to live life apart from people. I am content to speak to my friends occasionally via text and in person because that is what I can sustain currently. We are all busy adults with goals to accomplish. There is nothing wrong with that. Holding against people and letting it make you bitter is a pointless endeavor. Nothing good comes of it, except hurt feelings and damaged relationships.

But you are naïve if you believe that none of the things I have described will apply to you. They will, and it will be a hard lesson to learn if you fight it.